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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fork — in a road
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. court — of a king
  10. craft — boats
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — child
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — a skill
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com